Improvement in machines for plowing



J. W. FAWKES.

Steam-Plow.

Patented Jan. 26, 1858.

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH IV. FA\VKES, OF UHRISTIANA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEM ENT IN MACHINES FOR PLOWING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 19,189, dated January26, 1858.

' To all whom it may concern.-

lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of thisspecification, of which- Figure 1 is a side view; Fig. 2, a top view,exhibiting the form of the driving-roller or main wheel and the devicefor guiding the front .wheels; Fig. 3, a section showing the gearconnecting the main wheel and crankshaft; Figs. 4 and 5, sectionsshowing the devices for protruding the spuds of the drivingwheel.

By my improvements in locomotive-plows, wherein I employ a largebarrel-shaped or bulged driving-wheel for the propulsion of the machine,I avoid the sinking in the earth ofthe wheels hitherto employed, andthus enable me to employ the locomotive in the culture of soft land, orwhere it is desirable to pass the locomotive over plowed land inharrowing or seeding, &c. This driving-wheel is furnished with spuds orspears, admitting of being projected or withdrawnand retracted. By thismeans a greater hold to the wheel on the earth can be given when theland is hard, thus securing the full traction of the machine. The plowsare secured in an adjustable frame, (attached to the rear of thelocomotive,) so as to admit of plowing and of being readily raised whenrequisite. In the guidance of the front wheels I employ a Windlass andband, operating a screw, which meshes into cogs of a segmental rackprojecting from the rear of the axle of said front'wheels.

To enable others to construct and use my improvements, I will describethem as follows.

A represents the boiler; B, the water-tank, placed on the same frame asthe boilerand engine; 0 G,the front wheels. aa are hounds, on which issecured the segmental rack b. The front axle is furnished with acircular plate for giving steadiness of movement.

D is a screw on a shaft, provided with a pulley, d, on the end of itsaxle.

e is a larger drum or pulley on the frame of the locomotive, beingfurnished with handles for turning. A band or strap passes around thepulleys, thus moving the screw and the rack attached to the front wheelseither to the right or left, while the large barrel-shaped driving-wheelE facilitates the turning of the locomotive.

f is the pitmau-rod attached to a loose crank turning on the axlegof themain wheel E. This wheel is made up of staves clamped together, withheads of metal, and rods and screw-nuts. It forms a barrel-shaped wheel,in which is a diaphragm, h, (see Fig. 4,) having suitable groovesfor thereception of sliding spuds or spurs 7c is. Three of those spuds areshownin the lower part of this figure, and a. side view of the spud asenlarged is seen in Fig. 6, with its notch for the reception of a bar,m, projecting from the under side of a movaable ring. (Shown by Fig. 5.This figure presents an inverted view of the ring.) In Fig. 4 the barsat m are shown in their position in the recesses of the spuds bysupposing the plate-ring to have been removed.

a is a pivoted lever moving on a center pin, 00. It is formed with cogs,which mesh into a segmental rack, 0,-secured to the diaphragm. WVhen itis requisite to project the spurs or spuds k, as in plowing hard earth,the end of the lever n is drawn to the side of the recess, thus movingthe ring h and its bars at m, said bars operating upon the spurs andprojecting them out or withdrawing them as the lever is moved to theright or left.

The device for throwing the crank into gear with the main driving-wheelE is thus described: 12 is a handle secured on an eccentric-shaft, q,(see Fig. 3,) which is confined in journal-blocks 1', attached to theframe of the locomotive. The shaft q is enlarged, and has upon it thewheels 8 and pinion t, attached thereto. This wheel and pinion turn on asleeve on shaft q. u is a wheel secured by screws to the head of thewheel E, and turning therewith. o is a pinion, and w a crank, bothsleeved and turning freely on the shaft or axle g of the maindriving-wheel E.

To throw the crank into gear with the wheel E, raise the handle 12,which will throw the wheels 8 and it into mesh with wheels u and 2:,thus uniting in movement the crank w and wheel a.

When not in gear the crank and wheel v move freely on the axle g, thewheels 8 and if having been removed from mesh by the dropping of thehandle 11.

One of the advantages gained by the use of the barrel-shapeddriving-wheel is that of sup-' porting the water-tank and a largeportion of the engine upon its broad surface.

The plow-frame consists of side timbers, 2 2, and diagonally-placedcross-girts 3 3. The girts are made with vertical slots 4 4 for thepurpose of allowing the bolts confining the plow-beam and its frame tobe adjusted to each other. 5 5 are slotted plates through which theclamping-bolts pass, and through which the uprights 6 6, rising from theplow-beam 7, also pass. 8 is one of the plows, and 9 is a gage-wheel,which admits of being raised or lowered as the frame requires change.

To adjust the plows to their worksay to give them poi.nt-then lower thefront standard 6 and raise the rear one. In this way the plows may bemade to enter the soil more or less. The relative position they mayrequire to each other can be obtained by moving the plates 5 5, &c., inthe slots 4 4. The plows are drawn by a chain attaching their beams toprojecting pieces connected with the front The employment of thebarrel-shapedwheel or driver E, constructed with spurs k k in themannerdescribed, in combination with guidin g-wheels 0 c and screw 1) andsegmental rack b, for the purpose of drawing the plow-frame and plowsdescribed in the manner set forth in the foregoing specification.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name before two subscribingwitnesses.

JOSEPH W. FAWKES.

Witnesses:

R. A. lWIARsHALL, D. P. SHEELER.

